Source: Qur’an o Hadees Ki Roshni Mein Ahkam o Masail – Volume 01
Is combining two prayers at one time (e.g., Ẓuhr with ʿAsr or Maghrib with ʿIshāʾ) during rain proven from the Qur’an and Sunnah? Please provide evidence without citing the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Tirmidhī that mentions combining without apparent cause, because Imām Tirmidhī رحمه الله said that although its chain is authentic, the lack of scholarly practice upon it weakens it.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
You referred to the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Tirmidhī in which it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ combined prayers when there was neither fear nor rain nor travel.
The wording states:
«غَيْرَ خَوْفٍ وَلَا مَطَرٍ»
and in another narration of Muslim: «غَيْرَ خَوْفٍ وَلَا سَفَرٍ»
Meaning: there was neither fear, nor rain, nor travel.
① First Understanding:
The Prophet ﷺ combined prayers when there was no fear, rain, or travel.
Some assume this means “without any excuse,” but the wording “without excuse” does not actually appear. Based on this misunderstanding, Imām Tirmidhī رحمه الله said scholars did not act upon this ḥadīth — indicating it appears abrogated.
② Second Understanding:
By negating only three specific excuses (fear, rain, travel), it indirectly affirms that these three are valid Shar‘i reasons for combining prayers.
He clarified that if the ḥadīth is understood as only negating these three excuses, then it is possible there are other valid excuses — such as illness — for which combining would be allowed.
Indeed, some of the Tābiʿīn and Imām Isḥāq رحمه الله allowed combining due to illness.
◈ Imām Tirmidhī stated that if we accept other excuses like illness, this ḥadīth is not “abandoned in practice.”
◈ Thus, the narration can still be acted upon without contradiction.
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
«من جمع بين الصلاتين من غير عذر فقد أتى بابًا من أبواب الكبائر»
(Whoever combines two prayers without an excuse has opened a door from among the major sins.)
Although weak, this report gains strength from the consensus of early scholars that no one supported combining without an excuse — otherwise Imām Tirmidhī would not have called the earlier narration “abandoned in practice.”
«قال بعض أهل العلم يُجمَع بين الصلاتين في المطر، وبه يقول الشافعي وأحمد وإسحٰق، ولم ير الشافعي للمريض أن يجمع بين الصلاتين»
(Tirmidhī, Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī al-Jamʿ bayn al-Ṣalātayn)
Meaning:
From Nayl al-Awṭār:
1. Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik: from Nāfiʿ — when the rulers combined Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ during rain, Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما would also combine with them.
2. Sunan al-Athram: from Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān — “It is from the Sunnah to combine Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ when there is rain.”
The stronger view is that combining during illness is also allowed, as hardship in illness can be greater than that in rain.
Wallāhu A‘lam
Question:
Is combining two prayers at one time (e.g., Ẓuhr with ʿAsr or Maghrib with ʿIshāʾ) during rain proven from the Qur’an and Sunnah? Please provide evidence without citing the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Tirmidhī that mentions combining without apparent cause, because Imām Tirmidhī رحمه الله said that although its chain is authentic, the lack of scholarly practice upon it weakens it.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
You referred to the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Tirmidhī in which it is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ combined prayers when there was neither fear nor rain nor travel.
Key Points from the Ḥadīth:
The wording states:
«غَيْرَ خَوْفٍ وَلَا مَطَرٍ»
and in another narration of Muslim: «غَيْرَ خَوْفٍ وَلَا سَفَرٍ»
Meaning: there was neither fear, nor rain, nor travel.
Two Ways to Understand This:
① First Understanding:
The Prophet ﷺ combined prayers when there was no fear, rain, or travel.
Some assume this means “without any excuse,” but the wording “without excuse” does not actually appear. Based on this misunderstanding, Imām Tirmidhī رحمه الله said scholars did not act upon this ḥadīth — indicating it appears abrogated.
② Second Understanding:
By negating only three specific excuses (fear, rain, travel), it indirectly affirms that these three are valid Shar‘i reasons for combining prayers.
Explanation by Imām Tirmidhī:
He clarified that if the ḥadīth is understood as only negating these three excuses, then it is possible there are other valid excuses — such as illness — for which combining would be allowed.
Indeed, some of the Tābiʿīn and Imām Isḥāq رحمه الله allowed combining due to illness.
Additional Clarifications:
◈ Imām Tirmidhī stated that if we accept other excuses like illness, this ḥadīth is not “abandoned in practice.”
◈ Thus, the narration can still be acted upon without contradiction.
Supporting Weak Narration:
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
«من جمع بين الصلاتين من غير عذر فقد أتى بابًا من أبواب الكبائر»
(Whoever combines two prayers without an excuse has opened a door from among the major sins.)
Although weak, this report gains strength from the consensus of early scholars that no one supported combining without an excuse — otherwise Imām Tirmidhī would not have called the earlier narration “abandoned in practice.”
Imām Tirmidhī’s Ruling:
«قال بعض أهل العلم يُجمَع بين الصلاتين في المطر، وبه يقول الشافعي وأحمد وإسحٰق، ولم ير الشافعي للمريض أن يجمع بين الصلاتين»
(Tirmidhī, Bāb Mā Jāʾa fī al-Jamʿ bayn al-Ṣalātayn)
Meaning:
- Some scholars allowed combining during rain; this is also the opinion of Imām al-Shāfiʿī, Imām Aḥmad, and Imām Isḥāq.
- Imām al-Shāfiʿī, however, did not permit combining for a sick person.
Evidence for Combining During Rain:
From Nayl al-Awṭār:
1. Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik: from Nāfiʿ — when the rulers combined Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ during rain, Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما would also combine with them.
2. Sunan al-Athram: from Abū Salamah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān — “It is from the Sunnah to combine Maghrib and ʿIshāʾ when there is rain.”
Preference for Combining During Illness:
The stronger view is that combining during illness is also allowed, as hardship in illness can be greater than that in rain.
Conclusion:
- The ḥadīth does not explicitly state “without excuse” — it only negates three specific excuses, which implies these are recognized reasons in Shariah.
- Other excuses like illness can be included by analogy.
- Combining prayers during rain is supported by practice of senior Companions, Tābiʿīn, and leading Imāms.
- There is scholarly precedent for combining during illness as well.
Wallāhu A‘lam
